


Shift

by Dazzledfirestar



Category: Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Wolverine and the X-Men
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-28
Updated: 2011-06-28
Packaged: 2017-10-20 19:22:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/216269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dazzledfirestar/pseuds/Dazzledfirestar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for the Earth's Mightiest Holiday Exchange fan work exchange on Livejournal.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Shift

**Author's Note:**

  * For [death_star510](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=death_star510).



> Written for the Earth's Mightiest Holiday Exchange fan work exchange on Livejournal.

“Toad, if you don’t shut up I will tie that tongue around the nearest light post and leave you there.” Pietro was feeling less patient than usual. Another day, another false platitude from his father. Another version of ‘keep trying and maybe I’ll let you come back’. It had all long stopped ringing true and now… well, now he was no less a tool for Magneto than anyone else in the brotherhood. He was nothing to his own father and worse than that, he was starting to doubt his father's cause.

 

Everything he knew, everything he thought he’d known was starting to blur a little around the edges. Things were happening in the world that made him wonder about all the superiority he’d been told about all his life. All those ‘pathetic’ humans seemed far less pathetic as he watched the (painfully slow) reporting of these Avengers… these humans doing things that he’d thought no human would have the nerve to do. And it wasn’t the ones that had the powers, though they were impressive as well. No, these normal humans were trying to save the world. That was impressive. That was something worth the effort.

 

He glanced around the room again. No one else was really paying attention to the TV. Toad had given up on getting him to change the channel and was now pestering Blob and Avalanche into… well, something. He didn’t care enough to bother paying attention enough to find out. Domino was cleaning her guns… again. It was all the same. All the same boring thing that he’d have to do until the day the MRD finally caught up to him or something finally proved fast enough to end his days.

 

His scowl deepened. He was more than this. More than some foot soldier in Magneto’s war on humanity. In truth, he didn’t hate them as much as he seemed to. He, like his sister, thought that there could be potential there, but he’d never been patient enough for diplomacy. Wanda was good at that. She could handle that side of things. Pietro was, he knew a man of action and as he watched the flicker images of the Avengers, he knew where he’d find some of that action… and maybe, if things worked out, something of a purpose too. But if there was one thing his father had taught him it was to know what you were getting into, so before he did anything, he’d have to do a little research.

 

The rest of the brotherhood barely felt the breeze as he left. They were used to it no doubt. Domino had looked up and she probably would have asked where he was going had he stayed long enough to let her do so. Best not the tip this hand to the rest of the table yet, though.

 

Tony Stark was the easiest of the Avengers to get information on, but deciphering what was media glut and what was real about the man was a little harder. Flatscan human, brilliant engineer, born into money but had taken a small empire and made it something serious. And then suddenly, he’d let it all slide. All the military contracts, all the business stuff he seemed so well suited for, even the media glut. When he became this Iron Man persona none of that mattered. Pietro stared at the photo of this man for another moment as he dug through SHIELD’s files. This one was interesting. Wanda would probably have some kind of psycho-babble reasoning behind why a man would incase himself in armor and try to save the world, but Pietro knew he didn’t have time to do any major psychoanalysis at the moment, so he moved on.

 

Janet Van Dyne. Another trust fund baby. From all reports, fun loving and thrill seeking… he’d have pegged her as just another adrenalin junkie if she wasn’t so damn good at the job. She’d taken on Whirlwind and won… not that Whirlwind was that fast but… still. If he’d been looking at threats to himself, she’d be near the top of the list. But he wasn’t looking for threats. He was looking for teammates. And apparently this one welcomed the Hulk with open arms, so she could be an ally. She could be a sponsor if he needed one, and if he could win her over, her boyfriend would probably go along with it too.

 

Hank Pym seemed more interested in research than saving the world. At least, that’s what SHIELD thought of him. Pietro wondered briefly what this man would do or ask if faced with a mutant on a day to day basis. He shook his head. That wasn’t the point here and he was sure—well, pretty sure anyway—that Pym wouldn’t sink to dissecting his teammates. Pietro noted that he was very capable with his abilities—knew his limits and how to use every aspect of his powers to great advantage. That was something he could respect. It was something he saw as lacking with a fair few of his fellow mutants too, for whatever that was worth.

 

Thor… Thor was interesting. He was either completely insane or from another realm of existence. Or both. Pietro couldn’t be sure. After all, he’d seen mutants with that kind of power, so it was possible that this man was one of his own, lost in a fog of delusion. Something told him though that that was not the case with this one. Whatever he was, he respected might and valor. Again, this was something Pietro might be able to use and hopefully, live up to.

 

The Hulk however… well, staying a step or two out of reach seemed like a good idea.

 

That brought him to a man who was no doubt feeling more lost and without footing than he was. Captain America. Even Pietro’s father respected the memory of that man, and maybe on some level would respect him now that he’d been found alive. Pietro couldn’t say for sure. The man was the embodiment of what it was to be just and right. That was something that deserved to be looked up to, even if he was still only human.

 

And speaking of only human… Pietro found himself a little intrigued by the former SHIELD agent that was next on his list. Hawkeye, branded a traitor, obviously leaving the man with trust issues. He could be trouble. But on the other hand, he seemed fairly easy to rile up too. He could be fun. Pietro grinned to himself for a moment before moving on.

 

The king of Wakanda was interesting. Why a man with a country to run would go around trying to save a world his country had locked out was beyond Pietro. His father would never do such a thing and had proven that over and over again. He had lesser people to do such things. Like Pietro. He scowled at the screen. This T’Challa was someone he’d like to have a conversation or two with, he thought. No doubt he would have some interesting views on things that Pietro would be happy to pass along to his sister. Wanda might even want to join in the conversation.

 

The thought of his sister pulled him away from the computer and out of the SHIELD base. No one had notice him, of course but he had another stop to make before truly committing to what he was thinking. One person whose opinion on this could make or break the idea. He had to go to Genosha.

 

People underestimated how hard it was to run across oceans. He could do it, that wasn’t the problem, but it was mentally taxing more than anything else. Sure, he was physically tired when he hit land, but one had to keep up a pretty constant speed to make it that far without drowning. That was an unpleasant thought.

 

He found her in her garden, reading, just as he always did. “Pietro…” She frowned at him, having formed the frown before he even hit the spot she was frowning at.

 

“It’s alright, I’m not staying.” He waved at her. “I just need your opinion on something.”

 

She sighed and closed her book, motioning for him to sit down across from her. “Alright, what could possibly be that important?”

 

“I’m thinking of petitioning the Avengers…”

 

“What?”

 

“For membership.”

 

“What?” Her eyes got wide.

 

“I’m not doing any good where I am, Wanda.” He got up and started pacing. “I’m not doing our people any good.”

 

“And you think you can do better with the Avengers?” He could see the wheels turning in her head already. “They… they do good things, Pietro. Good things for everyone, not just humans or mutants…”

 

“Exactly!” he sat down again. “Exactly! I could drum up some good press for mutant kind!” His grin got wider. “A mutant saving the world would look pretty good.”

 

“It didn’t work for the X-Men.” Wanda tapped her fingers on the table. She was playing devil’s advocate; making sure he’d thought this through before she agreed or disagreed. He was betting on her agreeing.

 

“But they’re all mutants; people can just say they were working in their own interests.” He waved the argument off. “But the Avengers? That’s different. That’s a whole different level, Wanda.”

 

“If they’ll have you.” Her eyebrow rose significantly, but she smiled.

 

He chuckled and motioned toward himself. “Hey, who wouldn’t want my help?”

 

“It’s a good idea, Pietro.” Wanda sighed. “Honestly, I’ve thought about it myself…”

 

“So come with me then!” He got up and grabbed her hand as if ready to leave that very instant.

 

“I can’t.” She pulled her hand free. “Not right now… not with everything so…” she sighed again. “But you go. You do it.” She smiled. “Be our voice, our face.”

 

“You want me to make you proud?”

 

“I want you to be happy in what you do with your life.”

 

“This would be a big step toward that, I think.” He stopped and stared at her for a moment. “I can’t… I can’t keep doing what _he_ tells me to do. I don’t think he’s right anymore and I don’t want to need his approval or his invitation back here. I…”

 

“You want to be your own man.” She nodded. “I know, and this might help.”

 

“Might?”

 

“Well, it’s a step in the right direction.”

 

Pietro smirked for a moment. “He’s going to be a nightmare for a while, isn’t he?’

 

“Most likely.” Wanda waved the comment off. “Be safe, or as safe as you can be saving the world.” She kissed his cheek a second before he disappeared again in a gust of wind.

 

He slowed down considerably when he hit the coast. Wanda had made a point that hadn’t sunk in at first… she’d said ‘if they’ll have you’. He’d joked about it, but now, standing back in the US, he was starting to wonder. What if they wouldn’t? Those were bridges that once burned, would most likely never be able to be rebuilt. Then where would he be? Another lone mutant waiting for the MRD to lock him away? That wasn’t an option. No, they’d have to take him. He was an asset, after all! No one on that team had his kind of speed. No one there could do what he could do. He’d checked, after all. He’d made sure before hand.

 

They needed him.

 

He found his way to the main gates of the mansion. The direct approach being the best (and only, in his mind), he pressed the comm. button. “ _Hello, welcome to Avengers Mansion. Please identify yourself._ ”

 

He felt like he hesitated forever, in truth it was only a second and even JARVIS didn’t pick it up as suspicious. “I would like to speak with Tony Stark, please.”

 

“ _And what is this regarding?_ ”

 

“It’s regarding the Avengers. Specifically,” Pietro’s jaw tensed considerably, “me joining them.”

 

Two minutes later, Tony Stark was leaning on the front gate with the rest of the Avengers at his back. “So,” Tony looked him over. “What’s the deal? You think you can ring the bell and win a spot here?”

 

“No, actually.” Pietro tried to bite back his less socially acceptable attributes and be civil. “I want a chance.”

 

“He’s a terrorist!” This voice coming from the purple wrapped archer a few feet behind Stark.

 

“And you were a traitor. What’s your point?”

 

“My point is how the hell are we supposed to trust you?” Hawkeye took a couple steps closer.

 

“My understanding is that you don’t trust anyone anyway, so I don’t see how that matters one way or another to you.”

 

“How the fu—“

 

“He’s got a point, Mr. Maximoff.” Captain America put a hand on Hawkeye’s shoulder and stopped the obvious from coming out of the archer’s mouth. “Why would you want anything to do with the Avengers? From the things I’ve seen about your people, and the group you associate with—“

 

“Yes, I am aware of the picture we’ve painted of ourselves. But there are those here that know mutants and their views are as divergent as humans.” He looked around, masks hiding some of the reactions but not all. “I simply want to do something for the world, and…” He sighed. Might as well lay it all out. “If people see a mutant on the Avengers, it might sway some views.”

 

“So, you’re in it for the press?” Wasp hovered closer; close enough for Pietro to see her face. “I don’t know if that’ll work.”

 

“Maybe not, but most of the villains you’re chasing won’t care if the people they hurt are human or mutant.” His patience was wearing thin. “But if you don’t want the help, fine. Call the MRD and have them cart me off.” The implication was clear. If they didn’t want him, they’d be bigots. None of them wanted that, he was sure.

 

“Nobody’s being carted off anywhere.” Stark stared at him a little longer. “There might be some sticky legal issues, but we can give it a try.” Stark reached out his hand. “If you blow up the mansion though, we’re going to have problems.”

 

“I’ll remember that.” Pietro took the offered hand and stepped through the gates.

 

Something about it felt significant; like something in the universe shifted. He realized, for good or evil, this changed everything.


End file.
